


Learning to dance in the rain

by ElenyasBlood



Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Agron is a grumpy loser, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Jealousy, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Nasir is a stubborn little brat, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-15 09:36:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4601832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElenyasBlood/pseuds/ElenyasBlood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Nasir doesn't want to go house-sitting but does it anyway, Naevia is a sneaky little shit, Agron likes to play fetch on a Sunday morning, Spartacus is absolutely clueless, and Saxa continues to be her usual, brilliant self. </p><p>Starring Nasir as the insecure art major, Naevia in the role of the best friend, and Agron as the grumpy neighbor, who turns out to be not so bad at all and proceeds to wreak havoc in Nasir's small, comfortable life—in the best way possible, of course.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [soulmatecest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulmatecest/gifts).



**Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… It’s about learning to dance in the rain.**

**-** _Vivian Greene_

The first time Naevia asked him to help keep an eye on Mira's house for a week over fall vacation, Nasir wasn't exactly enthusiastic about the whole thing. He had a shit ton of homework that needed to be ignored until the very last second, after all. Also it was fall and _c'mon Naevia, who the fuck wants to spend their fall vacation anywhere but in bed? Who does that, huh?_

But when they turned into the small road on a bright October morning to get first instructions, the narrow suburban road running smoothly under Naevia’s sleek sports car, Nasir couldn't help but stare with his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide in wonder.

It was a small house, big enough for two people and maybe a cat at most. Shaded on both sides by trees, the little cottage nestled comfortably between thick scrubs. Beds of flowers grew along the front porch, red raspberries were gleaming through the green and white, star-shaped dots blinked blearily into the sun. And though the whitewash was maybe a little dingy and the frames of the small windows were crooked and splintered, Nasir instantly fell in love with the cottage’s rusty beauty.

“Okay, count me in,” he breathed as Naevia maneuvered the car up the driveway, gravel crunching under the tires.

Blinking, his friend turned to face him. “Really?”

“Yeah, sure,” Nasir replied, nodding enthusiastically. “It's beautiful. I like it. And I could do with a little less stale apartment air and more of this.” He made an all-encompassing gesture before kicking his door open.

He hadn't seen so much green since his family had left Syria to live in the United States and sniffing through the herbs on the kitchen counter back in their apartment was the closest he had come to nature in a long while. Things had been tough in their third semester and freetime had been slim.  

A wide smile on her face, Naevia waited for Nasir to approach her next to the three-step staircase leading up to the small front porch.

“Awesome, we're gonna have a blast,” she chirped, rubbing Nasir's shoulder as they climbed the stairs. Wooden panels creaked beneath their feet that morning and the air smelled like leaves and cinnamon.

 ♦ 

Two weeks later Nasir woke up in the wrong bed, with the wrong pillows and a _wrongwrongwrong_ taste in his mouth, like something had crawled down his throat and died somewhere behind his lungs. Groaning, he tried to get up only to immediately regret his decision.

“What have we done?” he asked into the silence, stirring movement on his right side. An undefined whimper indicated that the marching band wasn't only trumpeting and drumming through Nasir's head.

“I dunno, must have been the peppermint schnapps,” Naevia whined, rolling on her side and hiding her mop of black hair beneath a bunch of feather-pillows.

“Yeah, or the beer. Or the peach liqueur.” Nasir snorted, swallowing a few times to get rid of the god-awful taste on his tongue.

Naevia's groaning was muffled through the layers of cushions, but Nasir could feel his best friend's body vibrate next to him in dismay. “Yeah man, or the tequila shots we did after that.”

Shuddering, Nasir made another attempt at sitting up—this time successfully—and finally caught a glimpse of where he was. “Naevia?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are we sleeping in the master bedroom?”

Moaning, Naevia started fiddling with the pillows again before she propped herself up on an elbow, eyes squinted against the bright morning sun.

“Darling, cause you didn't want to share a bed with Saxa,” she explained begrudgingly.

A crease appeared between Nasir's eyebrows as he tried to recall last night’s events, then he breathed out a laugh. “Yeah, 'cause she snores like a lion with a head cold. Like a freaking lumberjack. And her feet are always cold.”

Naevia nodded. “That's what you said last night before wandering off into the master bedroom, dragging me along and leaving Saxa and _my_ boyfriend in the guest room. Thanks again for that, honey.”

Nasir's smile was apologetic as he ducked his head. “A man needs his sleep,” he mumbled, sitting up some more and swinging his legs out of their cocoon of blankets.

“Yeah, exactly. And you know what? That’s a two-way street; girls need that, too. And that's what I'm gonna do now: get some more sleep. It's what? Ass o'clock?” Naevia grumbled.

Nasir didn't bother to answer as he patted his friend's shoulder before carefully getting up on unsteady feet. The world was still spinning in front of his stinging eyes, but he needed coffee and something to eat, preferably something greasy and sickeningly sweet. And a shower.

Slipping into the pair of jeans he found discarded on the floor, he was about to pull the door shut behind him when he heard Naevia's voice from beneath the covers again.

“If you catch Crix, send him my way, will ya honey?”

“Sure will,” Nasir replied before slipping out of the room and down the hallway, grateful to find the small bathroom quiet and abandoned.

After half an hour of marathon-showering and using half a bottle of Saxa’s favorite—most likely unholy expensive—shower gel, Nasir decided it was a sweatpants-and-hoodie kind of day and hummed quietly as he rummaged through his stuff downstairs, a damp towel riding dangerously low on his hips. He changed right in the hallway, no excuses.

Feeling a little nauseous and quite a bit dizzy, he shuffled into the kitchen to brew himself a nice cup of coffee. Adding an insane amount of cream and sugar to the pitch-black drink, Nasir' eyes wandered out the window, admiring the view into the spacious backyard. Apparently outside the loud and messy city the weather was nice at eight o'clock on a Sunday morning and while stirring the mocha-brown coffee, Nasir padded through the living room—generously ignoring the empty beer cans and chips bags all over the coffee table—to step out on the porch.

He let the crisp morning wash over him with a deep breath, the fresh, clean air somewhat sobering him up. After a few inhales the pounding inside his head died down. The scent of recently fallen rain filled his flared nostrils as he watched the pale sun sending a bunch of silver rays down on the cold, white-frosted grass in a last attempt to resuscitate the dying summer.

Slowly Nasir followed the three creaking steps down the porch and into the silence of the garden. His fingers kept clutching the porcelain mug and his bare feet were stuck into a pair of beat-up sneakers. The fabric instantly became clammy.

Someone—most likely Mira's parents—had halfheartedly attempted to mow the lawn, but fall seemed to have arrived far too quickly and after a short distance of neatly trimmed grass, Nasir soon entered a less civilized area in the back of the yard, with trees as tall as skyscrapers and thick shrubs nestling in between the massive trunks. Dead leaves crunched quietly under his soles as Nasir made his way through the wilderness and he contently inhaled the scent of damp earth and moss. A bunch of starlings chattered idly in the barren treetops and Nasir would’ve kept watching their careless ado if it hadn't been for a sudden movement stirring in the corner of his eyes.

It came from across the fence, right there, behind the wooden planks that neatly separated one thickly wilderness from the other. Paired with the sound of a low voice, Nasir assumed that the source of the fast, erratic movements must have been human. At least it wasn't rabid badger searching the trash cans for some snacks.

With curiosity tingling beneath his skin and haunted by the strange feeling of doing something forbidden, Nasir set down the mug and approached the fence as quietly as possible, silently cursing under his breath as his sneakers got all tangled up in a bunch of vines and rotten leaves. This part of the backyard seriously was a mess and his breath was slightly hitched as he finally grabbed the planks, his fingers scrambling for purchase on the weather-beaten wood. Hidden half behind an elderberry and a pile of chopped logs, Nasir rose on his tip toes to get a better view—and almost toppled over at the sight of a young man playing fetch with a giant wolf hound in the middle of a messy backyard.

“Get it!” the stranger yelled and seconds later the dog’s huge, gray body stretched across the lawn as it caught a small plastic disk mid-air. The animal was yipping as it returned to its owner with a wagging tail.

Nasir swallowed thickly and then stretched his neck some more to get a better view of the stranger. He was tall—nothing like Nasir, who with his 5’8” frame barely counted as fully grown—built like a shit brickhouse and had a head full of short, brown hair. His body was lean and packed with thick muscle in all the right places, giving Nasir the idea of watching an athlete or a professional footballer. The man was smiling widely at the dog’s antics, making the skin around his eyes crinkle with amusement and a set of spectacular dimples pop on both sides of his mouth. He was the epitome of tall, broad and sturdy and sweat was running down his thickly muscled neck.

He was wearing jeans so tight Nasir was sure they must be illegal in at least seventeen states and a fluffy, warm parka clung to him against the crisp wind, reminding Nasir of his own poorly clad body and the goose-bumps that spread down his spine.

Not caring that he was staring blatantly—gaping, fucking _ogling_ —Nasir shamelessly exploited the fact that he was being hidden behind the thick branches of an elderberry bush, and with his mouth slightly hanging open, he continued to watch the stranger's movements.

It was ridiculous how much grace the guy-next-door put into throwing a fucking stick on a Sunday, his legs and arms working swiftly and the silver morning light dancing in wild reflection across the messy brown hair and along his jaw with the five o'clock shadow. ' _Fucking loser_ ' Nasir thought, fascinated, and couldn't even look away from the stranger when his toes began to feel like pins and needles and his fingertips went numb from the cold.

Ten minutes in and dog began to show first evidence of growing tired. Its tongue was hanging out of its open muzzle in exertion and when the stranger threw the stick for what felt like the three hundred’s time the big animal only snorted before slowly setting off into the right direction.

“Already gettin’ tired?” the stranger joked and Nasir was still reveling in the rich, thick accent when he noticed the pup's big, furry body was now shoving through the shrubbery and directly into his direction. Shit. _Shitshitshit_. What a fucking embarrassment. The dog shuffled around for a bit and Nasir just thought that he had gotten lucky when a big, gray head popped up right in front of him to let out a low bark.

The loud gasp that left Nasir’s mouth in return hung in the cold air like a gunshot, and the next thing he remembered was the feeling of his toes giving up beneath his weight and with a small yelp he sunk down into the prickly shrubs. The ground was hard and stony enough to really hurt when Nasir collapsed down and suddenly the nausea was back. It would've knocked him flat out if he hadn't been already on his butt, palms scraped and elbows aching under his weight.

It took Nasir some time until he realized that every sound on the other side of the fence had died the second he had ungraciously managed to sit up on a patch of thorny grass and with a sigh he sucked his lower lip between his teeth. With a little bit of luck, Puppies-and-sunshine over there hadn't taken notice and—

“Who's there?” A gruff voice floated over the fence and if Nasir had been trying to scramble to his feet only seconds ago, he now tried to melt into the moldy ground, rotten leaves and damp earth all but forgotten.

The voice was close—so _very_ close—and after a few seconds of silence the scraping of hard boots against the fence startled Nasir. A pair of hands appeared on top of the panels, followed by a mean-looking face. A steep crease appeared between a pair of green eyes and mouth drawn into a thin line, the guy didn't seem to approve of Nasir's secretive observations and he eyed him with a frown .

“Who are you?”

Nasir watched the stranger's lips moving all right, but his brain didn't seem to catch up in time and his tongue was perfectly glued to the roof of his mouth. He flabbergasted for a moment with his eyes wide open as he thought about how much bigger and infinitely much more handsome their temporary neighbor seemed up close.

“Didn't you hear me?” the guy asked again, jaw clenched and teeth gritted in anger. His eyes appeared more golden than green in the shadows of the elderberry and his knuckles turned white under his grip. “Who are you and what are you doing in my neighbor's backyard?”

It seemed like a century had passed before Nasir finally managed to get up from his humiliating position on the ground and onto his feet. Swaying slightly, he brushed a few dry leaves from his sweatpants—of course today of all days he would be wearing the ones with holes around the knees and the big stain of blue ink on the front, of- _fucking_ -course—before straightening up.

“I... um, I'm the guy who needs to leave before he continues to make a complete idiot of himself,” he replied with his throat tight and his eyes drawn to the frowning face above the fence.

The stranger didn't seem all that impressed with the given reply. Tilting his head, he watched Nasir carefully and slowly the anger seemed to melt into honest confusion.

“Excuse me?” he asked, but Nasir was already struggling his way through the shrubbery. His feet were working on their own and suddenly he couldn't put enough distance between himself and the stranger, who was still following his tracks as he was awkwardly staggering through the bushes.

As he stepped on the porch, Nasir turned around to take a last look at the guy hanging off the fence, looking all mean and intimidating and freaking glorious in all his holy scowliness. But the man had disappeared from his spot atop the planks and Nasir felt himself let out a deep breath.

What a fucking mess. What an awful, goddamn mess he'd gotten himself into—only two days into his job as a house-sitter not to mention. Fine.

He was about to slip inside the house when his gaze flitted across the fence just in time to see the stranger climb his own porch with a frown, hands buried in his pockets and his brown hair a disheveled mess, the big dog on his heels.

Fine. Amazing. _Perfect._

Nasir was so screwed.


	2. Chapter 2

Nasir spent the rest of the morning in front of the TV, watching cartoons and munching on cereal soaked in chocolate milk. After discovering that he'd left his coffee in the grass outside, he'd decided to make another one and wound up brewing a whole pot, just in case one of the girls or Crixus got up anytime soon.

Eventually Saxa did get up—looking well-rested and dazzling as always—and it seemed as though even the hangover wasn’t able to touch her rough beauty.

“Coffee?” she slurred, flopping down on the sofa with a groan.

Wordlessly, Nasir handed her a mug after adding two creams and two sugars, and offered her a space under his blanket which she gratefully accepted, curling up against his side.

“Naevia and Crix still asleep?” Nasir asked after a few seconds of silently watching _Bugs Bunny_.

Saxa shrugged. “I don't know if they're sleeping,” she explained, flipping her blonde mane over her shoulder. “But they're in bed, if that's what you're asking.”

Nasir snorted, then squeezed his friend against his side before snuggling deeper under the blanket. “Yeah, I'm sure they are,” he breathed as they resumed their focus on the TV screen.

It took Naevia and Crixus another three hours until they managed to crawl out of the sheets and into the living room to join their friends on the now pretty crowded sofa. They looked happy, exhausted, and neither Nasir nor Saxa commented on the hickeys that blossomed on Naevia's delicate skin.

They had just finished a particularly weird episode of _Adventure Time_ and the credits were rolling, when finally someone brought up the almost deafening rumbling of their stomachs.

“Thank fuck,” Saxa groaned and proceeded to order pizza for everyone before they managed to get up and clean last night’s mess.

Nasir was about to do the dishes and was joined by his best friend when he suddenly felt the urge to talk about his early morning encounter. The whole day he'd pushed the funny churning inside his stomach away, blaming it on the hangover and the too-strong coffee and the ridiculous amounts of Lucky Charms he had over the course of the day. But now that the aftermath of their heavy drinking had worn off and the sun was slowly settling outside the crooked windows, the whole issue seemed a little more real than it had in the bright, golden light of the day.

Grabbing a handful of shot glasses, Nasir cleared his throat. “I met the neighbor today.”

“Yeah?” Naevia replied as she lazily dried another plate before putting it on the counter. They were going to need them as soon as the pizza would arrive.

“Yeah, I... um, kinda watched him play fetch,”

“ _What_?”

Biting his lower lip, Nasir tried to keep his hands steady as he cleaned the glasses, rubbing Saxa's pink lipstick from the rim. “Yeah, I was up around eight and went outside to get some fresh air and he was kinda playing fetch with his dog in the backyard and I... I might have climbed the fence to get a better look on him.”

The look on Naevia's face was priceless. “You climbed a fence to ogle the neighbor while he was entertaining his dog?”

Dropping his hands into the sink, Nasir nodded. “Yeah, and he might have caught me doing it and wasn't pleased. Like, not at all.”

“Oh honey,” Naevia groaned. “He was supposed to be our emergency contact, Mrs. Law left me his number.“

Cringing, Nasir nodded as he felt the tips of his ears turn pink. “He's pretty though,” he admitted while fumbling nervously with the stopper.

“And kind of a loser, I assume,” Naevia threw in, her smile lifting the mood. “I mean what kind of guy gets up at eight in the morning on a Sunday just to play fetch?”

Nasir knew that Naevia only said that to make him feel less shitty about the whole issue and he took the hint gratefully, beaming up at his friend.

“Right? That's what I thought,” he muttered as he removed the last traces of lipstick and grease from the glasses before draining the sink and following his friend into the newly cleaned living room to wait for the pizza.

 ♦ 

Saxa and Crixus left after their feast. Naevia and Nasir watched them from the door mat as they piled into Crixus’ humongous Jeep and waved them goodbye once they hit the road, leaving a counter full of empty plates and cardboard boxes in their wake.

“C'mon babe, don't ya gimme that lost puppy look just cause your ridiculously tough boyfriend is gone. We can still have some fun, right?” Nasir chanted, rubbing his friend's back carefully and walking her back into the living room to start the Xbox for a round of _Halo_.

They spent the rest of the evening in front of the console and with their hands on the controllers. Rain started to pelt down outside the windows at some point and when they called it a night and Naevia left to take a shower upstairs, Nasir held her back with a rather serious look on his face.

“Naev, you think it'll be okay? I mean the whole 'I creeped the neighbor out' issue? Like what if we need help with something after all?”

Naevia's smile was goofy, the corners of her eyes crinkling with amusement. “Nasir, it's fine, really. It will be okay. And it's not the first time one of us screwed up, right? We’ll work it out.”

Rubbing his nose, Nasir inhaled deeply. “You sure?” Thunder started rolling in the distance.

“Yeah honey, I'm sure.” Naevia reassured him as she stepped into the bathroom. “As long as it's not a nuclear strike we're good I guess. And it's not like there's an emergency waiting right around the corner, right?”

 ♦ 

It turned out, there _was_ an emergency waiting for them and even though it wasn't as severe as a nuclear attack, Nasir did startle in his bed when lightning struck the small house two hours later.

“Naevia?” he yelled as he stumbled out of the guest room, blindly fumbling for the light switch just to find the line dead.

“Yeah, I'm here.” Naevia replied from where she stood next to the sofa, cell phone in hand to provide a small cone of light in the pitch-black living room. “You all right?”

“I'm good, but I think the power's out. Light's not working.”

Slipping into a pair of socks and his sweatpants, Naevia let out a small huff. “Yeah, I saw the numbers on the clock go out. Guess we gotta find the fuse box, huh?”

“Please tell me you know where it is!”

Naevia didn't know. She also had no idea where to start looking and after considering their situation for a good minute they decided to split up: Nasir taking the upstairs level and Naevia searching the first floor.

With their cell phones leveled they started looking for the tiny box that would provide light and warmth and guarantee that what little was left in the fridge would be still edible by tomorrow morning.

The air inside the house was cold and Nasir was freezing in only shorts and a baggy shirt as he padded down the hallway looking for a clue or any sign of a power switch. But the light provided by his cell phone was weak against the tar-black darkness of the thunderstorm and only when a crude bolt of lightning flashed was he able to see where he was heading.

It was ridiculous and after ten minutes of futile searching he decided to join Naevia on the first floor to discuss further strategies.

“Naevia?”

“In the basement,” came the curt reply and Nasir's stomach flopped as he approached the yawning mound of the cellar door. He had seen enough horror movies to know what could be waiting at the end of the staircase, but after taking a few deep gulps he bravely followed his friend into the darkness.

“Found anything?” Nasir breathed as soon as he reached the pale shine of Naevia's phone. The roll of thunder was somewhat cushioned down here, which was a relief, but the complete absence of light was eerie and Nasir couldn't help but shiver.

“Sweet nothing.”

Nasir nodded. “Same. Didn't find jack up there,”

The look on Naevia's face was almost sheepish and Nasir could already feel hysteria bubble up inside his chest before his friend even started speaking.

“Don't tell me we gotta head over there and ask Mr. Early-Bird where the fucking fuse box is?” he breathed, shuddering again but now for a whole different reason.

Shrugging, Naevia pushed past Nasir to move upstairs again. “You wanna walk around in the dark for another hour instead?”

“Oh come on, we'll find that thing in no time.”

“You're just squirming like a worm on the hook because you creeped up on that dude earlier and now you're getting cold feet,” Naevia replied, smiling smugly.

Nasir coughed. “No, actually I'm objecting because that guy's kinda creepy. Like he has the kind of eyes a serial killer would have. And not gonna judge but isn't it pretty suspicious to play fetch at eight o'clock on a Sunday? I mean if I would’ve murdered someone and had to cover up the crime I’d do something like that. You know, suspiciously abnormal,” Nasir rambled, completely disregarding the fact that the guy had looked pretty normal as he tried not to focus on the feeling of his stomach tying itself into tight knots as they spoke about their temporary neighbor.

“Yeah, sure.” Naevia shook her head, laughing. “So, you would rather crawl into every dusty corner of this cottage instead of asking someone who could have an actual idea where to look for this goddamn fuse box?”

“I... um, dunno.” Nasir mumbled, following his friend into the hallway. The air was less stale and cold up here, but Nasir's shirt was clammy and his bare legs were covered in goosebumps anyway. Chills were rolling down his spine and with a frown he eyed the rain murmuring outside the windows.

“Can you go?” he asked after a beat of silence, his voice unusual small, timid even.

Naevia, because she was the best friend in the whole wide world, did go after slipping into a pair of boots and the parka she'd consciously brought along. She left a freezing Nasir behind as she trudged out into the night.

Nasir expected Naevia being back within a time span of five minutes and decided to use the time to get his sweater from upstairs. What he didn't expect was the man, who was trailing behind Naevia as they tumbled out of the rain and into the dark hallway after a few minutes.

It was their neighbor and he looked adorably cozy, complete with disheveled hair and sleep lines running down his cheeks.

“The fuse box is in the backyard,” Naevia explained to a gaping Nasir. “One of us has to go and flip the switch in the shed while another one holds down the power button down in the basement.”

Nodding, Nasir tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he regarded their guest. He looked even better than a model ripped straight of a high-gloss magazine with all that rain trickling out of his hairline, a few droplets clinging to two rows of thick lashes.

“That's Agron by the way,” Naevia waved her hand in the guy's general direction and smiled so smugly it made Nasir cringe. “But you're already good friends, I take it?”

That was _it_. Naevia was due. Nasir would kill her once the power was back again and he could find an appropriately blunt weapon.

“Nasir,” he ground out between clenched teeth and was happy that Agron seemed equally upset about the whole issue.

Naevia took her time watching her two companions exchange a bunch of awkward glances and nods until she apparently had her fill. Thankfully, she didn't force the subject any further and after a few beats of silence she turned to face Agron.

“So, how are we gonna do the thing? You need one of us to come out with you?”

Agron shrugged. “I don't care. But it might be better if at least one of you two yahoos knows where the power switch is, don't you think?”

Spinning on his heels, Naevia faced her friend with a smile. “Nasir?”

If he had the choice between creeping back into the utterly dark basement or making a trip through the pouring rain with Mr. Mysterious over there, Nasir was inclined to choose the latter. At least he wouldn't be alone. But then again he knew that Naevia would never stop giving him shit for his choice, so he agreed to manage the power button down there, _thank you very much_.

The rest was as easy as eating cake: Naevia and Scowly McGrump left with a pair of flashlights to illuminate the way and Nasir had nothing else to do but carefully climb down the groaning staircase into the basement again and to wait by the switch until Naevia gave him the signal.

They took their sweet time though, and after a few minutes in the uncomfortable silence of the basement, Nasir started a game of _Candy Crush_ on his cell phone. Minutes ticked by and he was about to break his personal high score when the phone suddenly started to vibrate and Naevia's number popped up, reminding Nasir to do his chore. But Nasir's fingers had gone numb from the cold and his clammy palm couldn't get the right grip on the vibrating plastic case before—with a loud thud—the phone clattered to the ground, the display going blank.

Fine. _Perfect_.

Nasir was surrounded by pitch-blackness and with a groan he hunkered down, feeling for his lost device on the dusty floor. He tried to get hold of his phone as he was fumbling awkwardly, fingers scrambling and knuckles bumping into the hard cement as he did so. But because luck was a cranky bitch and Nasir had strained its patience one time too much, it didn't matter how frantically his hands moved in the dark, for the result remained the same: his cell phone stayed away and with it Nasir's only light source.

“You gotta be shitting me,” he groaned as he got on all fours to regain his balance, palms and knees scraping over the dirty floor as he tried to reach between a bunch of crates. Maybe his phone was just stuck somewhere? Maybe the battery hadn't died or fallen out and the device was just caught between the cardboard boxes? _Maybe_?

But again luck wasn't on his side and after banging head and hands first into several boxes, he could hear some shuffling upstairs and a gruff voice calling for him.

“Nasir? Why aren't you pressing the button? Power should be up again already,” Agron shouted, the light of his flashlight flickering over the dirt-stained walls of the basement.

Groaning internally, Nasir bit his lip before he replied from where he was still scrunched down on the dusty ground. “I lost my freaking phone and now I can't see,” he explained, cursing under his breath as his forehead bumped into something stony and solid.

“Are you serious?” Agron called back. His boots were scraping against the staircase as he made his way down.

Nasir snorted. “Yeah, I am,” he snapped as he tried to get up on his feet again just to find himself trapped between a bunch of boxes and the wall. _Well, shit_.

A cone of light fell on him as he made another attempt at straightening up, failing miserably as he banged against hard, unyielding cement again.

“How come you're always on your knees when I come looking for you?” an amused voice asked, Agron's lips curling into a smirk as Nasir turned around to face him. It suited him, made his face look less menacing and more like sunshine and puppies. Nasir decided to like it.

“Yeah, and who's fault is that?” he asked despite the ungodly amount of butterflies exploding in his stomach while impatiently wiggling out of his trap.

Shrugging, Agron watched him. “Not mine, that's for sure,” he replied and another grin flitted across his rain-wet features as Nasir finally managed to get up on his feet again, shorts and knees stained with dust and a bump forming on his temple.

“Oh yeah? Who scurried off with two freaking flashlights, leaving me with nothing but my phone, huh?” Nasir grumbled. He put his best scowl on before he brushed past Agron and towards where he assumed the power switch would be, his limbs awkwardly flailing in the dark.

“I didn't _scurry_ off,” Agron clarified before trailing behind Nasir, illuminating their way with an unsteady cone of yellow light. “I was trying to save your sorry asses from freezing to death, remember?”

The basement looked even more haunted in the dim half-light and suddenly Nasir felt utterly relieved to not be alone anymore. Agron seemed to be a nice guy: smart, witty, confident enough to keep up with Nasir's antics. Not to mention his looks.

“Okay, so how we gonna do this?” Nasir asked breathily as he finally found what he was looking for, fingers fumbling with the button.

Agron's eyebrows wandered up towards his hairline. “You press it?”

“Oh really, Mr. Smarty-pants? 'Cause the way I see it that little asshole is stuck. See?” Nasir bit back while he repeatedly attempted to spam the rusty button. It wasn't like he hadn't tried before, but as much as he pushed and pressed with his thumb, the plastic wouldn't budge.

Rolling his eyes, Agron stepped a little closer to the wall—which essentially meant closer to Nasir's shivering body. “Is there anything you _can_ do, Nasir?” Agron asked with a hint of annoyance, sending a puff of hot breath down the Nasir’s neck.

“Could think of a thing or two,” Nasir mumbled and was surprised how small his voice suddenly sounded, how lost he was in the heat Agron's body radiated against his back.

With a sigh, Agron batted Nasir's inept hands away from the switch and after giving a few forceful pushes, the button finally gave way. Seconds later the flickering overhead lights came to life.

“There,” Agron muttered. His voice was low and heavy and suddenly both men became painfully aware of the closeness they shared, their bodies almost touching in the bright neon light. Nasir could smell the rain on Agron's skin, the faint scent of minty toothpaste and soap. He could feel the rise and dips of Agron’s chest and the furnace-like heat that seeped through his skin down to the marrow of his bones.

Frantic movement and Naevia's voice calling their names broke the spell and within the blink of an eye, Agron stepped away and out of Nasir's reach, leaving nothing but cold shivers in his wake.

“Down here,” Agron announced before bending down and picking something up. Approaching Nasir again, he dropped the lost phone into Nasir’s hand with a lopsided smile. “Gotta go, Nasir. Take care.”

“Yeah, you too,” Nasir breathed and then Agron was gone and Naevia was shouting down the stairs, asking for her friend to come up again.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning came way too quickly and brought more nasty weather. The sky was tinted gunmetal-gray and every cloud was heavy with rain, water relentlessly pouring down. A sharp wind howled around the house and when Naevia stepped outside to pick up the newspaper, she came back freezing and looking like a doused puppy.

“We should stay inside today,” she announced after taking a sip of her coffee and Nasir agreed happily.

They lived off cold pizza leftovers and dry, floury cookies they'd found in the pantry earlier. Washed down with strong coffee and watered down coke it wasn't half bad and only when the sky started to grow dark again did they haul themselves up and into the car to get some supplies from the nearby store.

They settled on pasta with tomato and basil sauce and after grabbing a few more bags of chips, a box of Lucky Charms, a fair amount of vegetables and a six-pack of canned beer, they left the supermarket with happy faces and growling stomachs.

If there was one thing that was even better than fall vacation, then it was spending the days like a bunch of lazy-ass hobos, doing nothing but eating, playing video games and watching TV. And that was exactly what Naevia and Nasir planned to do for rest of the week, disregarding the fact that they had a freaking butt-load of homework waiting to be done. But the sofa was cozy and the blankets warm, and as soon as their stomachs were filled with pasta and red, spicy sauce they decided to marathon Alien instead of discussing their term papers.

It would have been a lie to say the Tuesday had been any more productive and only when Nasir went out to grab the beer they'd left inside the car the day before, he snapped out of the lazy haze as soon as he spotted Agron on the sidewalk.

He had pulled his hood low over his face and his chin was pressed into a fluffy, green scarf, but it was definitely Agron with his broad shoulders and slim waist and strong legs stuck in too tight jeans. His big, wet dog was trotting on a leash next to him, all gray fur and floppy ears, with observant golden eyes and a long, plush tongue hanging out of its muzzle.

Inclined to say something, Nasir was still searching for the right words when Agron had already strolled past, face drawn to the wet stone of the sidewalk and shoulders hunched against the wind.

“You're an idiot,” Nasir whispered to himself as he grabbed the six-pack. This guy was pretty much everything he was looking for and yet Nasir couldn't find it in him to start a conversation that didn't start with him on his hands and knees. Damn him and his inability to communicate like a decent human being.

He was on his way back in—shirt and pants thoroughly soaked after only two minutes in the pouring rain—when he noticed a second car in Agron’s driveway. Nasir eyed it with a frown and for the first time since their awkward encounter in the backyard, the idea of Agron not living alone in that pretty big house over there popped up in his head. Strangely, the revelation brought a burning ache with it and Nasir decided to not to dwell on the vision and instead trudged back inside again.  

Yelling “We owe Agron!” as he bustled in through the front door again, he startled Naevia, who was half asleep on the loveseat.

“Pardon?”

Taking a deep breath, Nasir dropped the beer on the coffee table before slipping under the blanket next to his best friend in an attempt to get warm again. “We owe Agron, you know, for helping us the other night, don't ya think?”

Naevia shrugged. “Whatever you say, man.” She shuddered against Nasir and playfully tried to kick his cold feet out of their cozy cocoon. “What do you have in mind?”

Nasir took a few seconds to chew the thought over. It wasn't like this was going to be a date or anything, just a friendly way of saying _thank you_ to their hot temporary neighbor who happened to have the face of an angel and was smiling like sin.

“I could cook us dinner tomorrow,” he finally said, holding his breath as he waited for Naevia's reply.

His friend's face crunched into a loopy smile. “Honey, you're so far gone,” she teased, nudging Nasir's knobby shoulder with her own.

“Oh shut up, Naev. It’s not like everyone has the man of their dreams fawning over them like there’s no tomorrow. Not every dude is like Crix and goes all lovey-dovey, all right.”

Naevia's smile became even wider, sunnier, and grinning she wrapped her arms around Nasir to smush their bodies together. “Already comparing you and Agron to me and Crixus, are we?” she hollered, squeezing a little harder even though Nasir already gasped for air.

“Can it, ass-wipe,” Nasir breathed, then laughed quietly.

They started scuffling around on the loveseat for quite a while, bopping and pushing each other off the edge until they were all tangled up in the blanket and out of breath. Smiling, they hauled themselves up into an almost appropriate position.

“So what do you say? Lasagna with Agron tomorrow?” Nasir opened up the topic again and Naevia finally nodded her  agreement.

“Will we have ice cream for dessert?” she asked, grabbing each of them a beer from the coffee table.

Nasir groaned in mock-annoyance. “You're worse than Saxa,” he huffed and picked one of the cans out of his best friend's hand before resuming _Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan_.

 ♦ 

Nasir was about to finish his lunch—toast and waffles with eggs on the side because he had just gotten up and it was more of a late breakfast, really—when Naevia came in to pick the car keys from the kitchen counter.

“Um, what do you think you're doing?” Nasir asked, sitting back on his chair brazenly.

“Getting ready to head over to our apartment?” Naevia replied. After another night full of thunder and a nasty hailstorm in the early morning, they had decided that one of them needed to make the long trip across the city to their dorm to pick up some warmer clothes; apparently scarves, hats and woolen socks seemed to be indispensable these days.

Nasir frowned. “Hold the freaking phone girl, I have to go and get groceries for tonight's dinner,” he objected, pushing to his feet with a sulking look on his face.

“And? The store is a ten-minute walk from here and our dorms are like on the other end of the city. I can hardly walk.”

“How about taking the bus?” Nasir tried, pouting and already knowing that Naevia was right. It was just that it was so freaking cold outside and the perspective of the afternoon being spent trudging through the hail made Nasir cranky and miserable.

Naevia didn't even bother to reply to her friend's ridiculous suggestion, only slipped into her boots and parka before heading towards the front door. “Don't forget to actually invite Agron for tonight, you giant dork,” she yelled before she left, waving at Nasir through the kitchen window with a big, goofy smile.

“Idiot,” Nasir breathed before begrudgingly getting ready for his afternoon activity.

 ♦ 

“Ten-minute walk my ass,” Nasir cursed as he pushed through the supermarket door after marching through the cold for almost twenty minutes. His nose was frozen red, his cheeks even more so, and though he wore three layers of clothes he could barely refrain from shuddering.

Pulling a shopping cart out of the line, he swore to himself that he would whoop Naevia's ass later for giving him false hopes and with a sour face he started looking for the things on his list, leaving a trail of wet footsteps on the clean supermarket floor.

One hour and a tightly stuffed backpack later, Nasir learned that his walk towards the store had been, in fact, a dance in the fucking daisies compared what was waiting for him right now.

It seemed like the rain was even colder and mixed with mean little hailstones it felt like tiny frosty teeth biting into Nasir's skin and making his muscles spasm violently. And not even the heat from his hasty walk could compare to the menacing breeze that steadily breathed into his face while chilling him down to his very core.

Another twenty-five minutes later and Nasir almost sobbed as the outlines of the cottage came in sight.

“Fucking finally,” he huffed, pacing up and dropping his backpack on the front porch a minute later to search his jeans for the front door keys.

Only that they were none.

Not in his back pockets, not underneath the zipper of his completely soaked track-suit jacket. Not in his backpack, not even inside the pockets of the freaking sweatpants he wore beneath the jeans.

“Fuck,” Nasir cursed, “Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck!” And with a frown and his limbs quivering in the cold he sunk down on the steps of the front porch, face buried in the collar of his drenched jacket and hands intertwined inside his sleeves.

Shoulders hunched he started counting the seconds and when seconds turned to minutes he counted those, too. Half an hour had passed and still no sight of Naevia and Nasir was ready to cry. He had watched the tips of his fingers turn from red to blue and he knew that his lips matched that color. His ears felt like they were about to fall off at any second and the skin around his nipples had been painfully puckered for good twenty minutes now. He hated the cold and found himself more often to miss Syria’s heat, not to mention the complete absence of snow.

Closing his eyes and huddling deeper into his soaked clothes, he tried to shrink away from the excruciating cold. He knew it had been a bad idea to come out here and with a sob Nasir mourned the warmth and safety of the dorm room he'd left behind to sit in the dark or in the cold or both.

“On the floor again?” an unmistakably amused voice cut through the sluggish haze Nasir had spent the last ten minutes in. Looking up, Nasir was faced with a set of broad shoulders and Agron bending down to meet his eyes.

“Hey, um, neighbor,” Nasir rasped, crawling somewhat out of the cocoon of his stiff clothes. He was too cold to be embarrassed and still he tried to wrestle his unruly hair back into his ponytail as Agron stood and waited.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked, eyeing Nasir first, then the discarded groceries Nasir had pulled out in his frantic search for the keys.

“I kinda forgot my keys,” Nasir explained between tugging at his hair and shuddering against the cold.

“And Naevia—“

“Is away to... uh, get us some warmer clothing for the time we'll be around.”

Agron's laugh was more of a huff, but his smile was all sunshine and puppies, the sight stirring butterflies in Nasir's stomach.

“That's kinda ironic, isn't it?” Agron snorted and proceeded to pluck his hood from his head to reveal his adorably messed-up, brown mane. The stubble on his jaw was a little thicker today and Nasir wondered what it would feel against his neck, his chest, his thighs. In fact, he was so busy objectifying his neighbor as he let his eyes roam up and down Agron's form that he almost missed the quiet “You wanna come over?”

“What?”

Clearing his throat, Agron let out a stream of hot air. “Well, I’m on my way to work right now, but you could come over and wait inside until Naevia returns. I don’t think I have a lot of food in the fridge but it’s warm enough and certainly a lot more pleasant than huddling up on the front porch,”

Utterly flummoxed, Nasir opened his mouth to get out a decent reply, but only managed to gape at Agron for a few seconds before shaking his head. “No, it's fine,” he mumbled even though his whole body screamed ' _Yes, fucking yes, when can I move in_?' “Naevia will be here in a few minutes I'm sure and I don't wanna bother you,”

Nasir could pinpoint the moment when Agron got the message from the way his face fell, his smile turning into a frown.

“Okay, no hard feelings,” he said, leaning back and pulling the hood on again, hiding his features somewhat under the gray fabric. “See you eventually.”

And before Nasir could take back his foolish words, Agron was strolling towards his car and slipping behind the steering wheel, leaving a still gaping Nasir behind with a chest so tight and his stomach tied in knots.

 ♦ 

Nasir didn't know how time had passed nor why he had been so stupid as to refuse Agron's generous offer. He had stopped counting, stopped hoping, and felt only regret and grief pounding inside his head, along with an aching emptiness pulsating beneath his heaving rib cage.

It pained him to think about Agron's face in the moment Nasir had sent him away, and with clenched teeth and his body quivering violently, he watched the sky grow dark in the upcoming dawn.

Honestly? He didn't know what had made him say no; must have been the heat of the moment. Or maybe because whenever his and Agron's paths had crossed in the recent past he had felt like a complete idiot. Though his heart skipped a beat every time he thought about that downright ungodly good-looking man, he was afraid to embarrass himself further. And if there was one thing Nasir had never wanted, then it was that: feeling unsafe and inferior in the presence of a man he might fall in love with.

Ten minutes later, Nasir was sure he was going to die outside this fucking cottage. On a freaking front porch. Like a mutt. It was devastating. And embarrassing. And he almost sobbed as he heard the gentle footfalls against the wet stone of the sidewalk.

“Are you Nasir?” an unfamiliar voice asked, and when Nasir looked up he was faced with a handsome stranger yet again. Tall as Agron and equally bulky, he stood in front of the porch with a silver thermos in his hands and a thick, green scarf wrapped around his neck. _Agron’s scarf_.

Nasir blinked slowly. ”Uh, yeah?”

“Well, look at you, all soaked and freezing half to death,” the stranger mused and continued to watch Nasir like a hawk. His hair was strawberry blond and he looked like the type of person who got freckly if they stayed in the sun too long.

“Excuse me, who are you again?” Nasir asked and shifted awkwardly into an halfway upright position. He didn’t quite know what to make of the whole situation, so he settled on being a little bit hostile.

The man smiled toothily, then replied in a confident voice. “Oh I’m sorry, where are my manners? My name is Spartacus. I live next door; Agron sent me. He texted me from on the road to tell me there’s a handsome stranger freezing to death next door and asked me to bring you these.”

He pushed the thermos into Nasir’s hand before dropping a pair of gloves into Nasir’s lap—navy blue and soft and smelling like laundry detergent.

“I...um… thank you,” Nasir huffed out, still a little dumbstruck. _What the fuck_?

Spartacus nodded. “Don’t mention it—Nasir, was that your name?”

Embarrassment was flooding Nasir’s cheeks and with a jerky nod he extended his frozen-stiff hand to the other man. “Yes, Nasir, I’m sorry,” he stammered and was not the least bit surprised by the firm, warm handshake he received.

“Nice to meet you, Nasir,” Spartacus rumbled before stepping back again. “Hey listen, Agron told me you forgot your keys and I’m busy with some paperwork upstairs, but are you sure you don’t wanna come over to wait for friend’s return? You must be frozen to the bone.”

This time Nasir didn’t have to think twice about his reply and with a sure shake of his head he declined the kind offer.

“Nah, thanks,” he mumbled, clutching the thermos a little tighter. He wasn’t in the mood to chat with gorgeous strangers who were tall and fit and probably so much closer to what Agron was looking for than Nasir in all his scrawny gangliness.

“Seriously? Because you look like you’re about to turn into a human popsicle at any moment,” Spartacus countered with one eyebrow raised.

To keep his lower lip from trembling in the cold, Nasir sucked it in and kept biting until it hurt.

“Seriously,” he reassured after a moment and forced a smile. “I’m good. Thanks for the gloves and the—”

“It’s peppermint tea,” Spartacus explained and nodded towards the flask sitting in Nasir’s lap. “Agron said you look like a peppermint kinda guy.”

Nasir didn’t let show how right Agron had been with his assumption and just smiled a little harder. “Thank you guys,” he ground out and was glad when Spartacus took the hint and waved before he began to trudge back the path he had been coming from.

At the gate, he turned around one more time. “Come over if you change your mind, Nasir,” he shouted and gave a small wave.

Nasir only nodded and returned the friendly gesture without saying another word and only when Spartacus had vanished behind the rain’s blurry curtain did he let out a long, frustrated sigh.

Apparently the guy next door wasn’t only drop-dead gorgeous, with a big, buff body, impossibly green eyes and adorable dimples on both cheeks, but also taken by an equally beautiful and well-toned dude who did paperwork at home and lived with him in their precious family home in the outskirts of the city.

Fantastic. Just _fan-fucking-tastic_.

 ♦ 

Eventually Naevia did return from running errands, her puppy face turning into a mask of grief when she found her best friend huddled up with a thermos full of peppermint tea on the front porch, and even after Nasir explained the dilemma, Naevia remained somewhat somber. She apologized at least a thousand times and volunteered to put away the groceries so Nasir could go and get a hot shower to heat up his chilled body.

“Where did you get the tea?” Naevia asked as Nasir tumbled down the stairs again, clad in a fresh pair of sweatpants, thick, woolen socks and his biggest, warmest sweater over a worn-soft shirt.

Shrugging, Nasir eyed the flask warily. “This dude from next door came over and gave it to me. He said Agron had sent him after he’d left for work,” he replied and was reluctant to admit that the yellow-eyed ache was starting to bloom in his chest again.

“Speaking of, do you still wanna make lasagna tonight?”

Nasir shrugged. “I dunno. Guess not,” he said, sounding somewhat defeated.

Naevia only needed one look to gather all the information she needed and with a smile she pulled her friend in for a tight hug. “You’ve started to like that Agron dude, haven’t you?”

Nasir nodded, shrugged again, tucked his face into Naevia’s neck until all he could see and hear and feel was his friend.

“And now you feel like shit ‘cause he might be taken?”

“Yeah, I mean, what else could it mean when two dudes live in a cute lil’ cottage at the end of the road with a dog and a backyard and a fucking swing on their lawn? Seems pretty explicit to me, Naev.”

The woman sighed softly before untangling herself from Nasir, tucking a wayward strand of black hair behind his ear. “Well, it could mean that they’re just two dudes who can’t afford to live downtown and decided to share a place outside the city where the rent is actually somewhat affordable,” she tried and gave her friend her sweetest smile. “Nothing is set in stone, honey. Besides, now you owe both of them, don’t you think?”

Nasir didn’t want to think about how Agron lived with Spartacus, both of them together in their glorious handsomeness, working out in and outside the bed and breaking hearts left and right.

“I dunno,” he mumbled and grabbed the thermos, weighing it contemplatively.

Still smiling, Naevia went to boil water for some more tea. “C’mon Nasir, don’t throw in the towel so early. Invite them over, both of them, and we’ll see what’s going on between them. You deserve to know and I deserve an evening with three devilishly handsome dudes, you know.”

Nasir felt himself smile at that, and grumbling, he agreed to Naevia’s plan. It was risky—especially if one considered Nasir’s already cracked and somewhat fragile self esteem—but no pain, no gain, and in the end he owed both men. Jealousy or not, Nasir wasn’t one to sit on his debts.

For a while, they were working quietly in the kitchen, both of them clinging to their own thoughts and Nasir still wrestling down that familiar stinging ache inside his chest until Naevia’s voice interrupted his train of thought.

“You gotta stop worrying,” she admonished and squeezed Nasir’s shoulder as she walked past him. “Agron seems to be a pretty decent guy and by the way: peppermint with just the right amount of honey—” she pointed towards the almost empty thermos— “your favorite!”

And if that would explain anything and resolve all the constricted feelings beneath Nasir’s ribcage she winked and left the kitchen towards the living room.  

Both friends went to bed early after a lazy microwave dinner. Nasir felt chilled and even after the shower his feet had remained cold and numb. After a glorious triumph over Naevia in Battlefield they both crawled into bed—or in Naevia's case the sofa, where she stayed up until midnight to text with Crixus.


	4. Chapter 4

It was late Thursday afternoon when the sky finally cleared up and the constant downpour faded into a quiet whisper. The hail was gone, as was the sharp wind, and the sun made a tentative appearance just as Nasir stepped out on the back porch, hands securely wrapped around a mug. Naevia had called their neighbors earlier to invite them over and to Nasir’s infinite embarrassment they had promised to come. What a bummer.

Standing outside, Nasir realized how nervous he was. Anxiety threatened to consume him and he figured having a tea outside in the fresh air would help him calm his nerves and stop him from fidgeting in front of the TV. Naevia, who was trying to finish a paper that was due on Monday, had been unusually quiet the whole day.

“You think they will come?” Nasir asked as he stepped inside again after having his fill of the crisp autumn air. “Agron and Spartacus, I mean.”

Shrugging, Naevia leaned back from where her eyes were glued to the laptop screen, rubbing a hand down her face. “I pretty sure hope so,”

“Yeah,” Nasir muttered quietly, wringing his hands in utter anxiety. “me, too.”

A soft noise left Naevia's mouth as she eyed her best friend, shaking her head slightly. “You're an impossible dork, Nasir. 'Course they will come. You promised lasagna on your note, didn't you?”

“I did.”

“See? It's gonna be okay. They'll come over and Agron will fall in love first with your meatball sauce and then with your face, okay? Quit freaking out.” Naevia smiled, her grin lighting up the room. “And now get your sweet ass over here and help me solve this equation before I lose my mind over this shit.”

Less nervous and with an almost confident smile on his face, Nasir sat down next to his friend.

 ♦ 

Eight o'clock came quickly and the lasagna was sizzling in the oven when Nasir came down from the guest room, having changed into his only clean pair of jeans and wearing a sleek, black shirt.

“How do I look?” he asked Naevia, who was lounging lazily in one of the kitchen chairs, chewing on her nails and checking his phone every so often.

“Like shit—but the shirt is nice,” she replied with a smug grin. She gasped when Nasir landed a half-serious punch on his shoulder.

Checking the lasagna first, then the clock and lastly his outfit, Nasir could feel a new rush of anxiety bubble up in his chest, making him antsy. The jealously seemed to have made itself a home inside his chest and there it sat, hurting, burning his every breath like acid. It had his skin crawl and his cheeks flush and when finally the doorbell rang Nasir almost dropped the pan, a tiny yelp leaving his mouth.

“I'm gonna let them in,” Naevia muttered good-naturedly and left Nasir to himself and his lasagna in favor of walking down the hallway and opening the door to their handsome temporary-neighbors.

Wandering off into the living room to place the searing hot pan on the table, Nasir tried to come up with an original, witty commentary on how he was not on his hands and knees for once, but failed as he watched Agron strolling in.

 _Shut the front door_ , that man looked good in black jeans and an olive green Henley. Even combed his hair looked sort of messy, in that sexy, disheveled way that made Nasir want to bury his fingers in the thick mane, and in the yellow light Agron's eyes appeared almost as green as the lawn outside.

Spartacus was wearing a simple gray tee and a flannel on top and looked both rough and impossibly overdressed for the occasion. He was smiling as he shook Nasir’s hand and his palm was cool in stark contrast to Nasir’s clammy fingers.

“Welcome!” Nasir stammered awkwardly and when it was his turn to shake Agron’s hand he felt his knees buckle. Agron felt nice and warm between Nasir’s fingers, sure and broad and everything Nasir wasn’t. He was smiling widely and his lashes looked like smudged coal against his dimpled cheeks.

The moment seemed to stretch infinitely and after what felt like an eternity had passed, Spartacus cleared his throat and Agron dropped Nasir’s hand again.

“So who's the mysterious chef?” Agron asked when Naevia had invited them to sit down and started to dump gigantic portions of pasta, beef and sauce on everyone’s plate.

“Oh, Nasir didn't tell you? He's a genius in the kitchen, cooks better than my mom. He saved me through my last exams. Seriously, I would've died without his nutrition.”

Hitching an eyebrow, Agron let his eyes flit between the two friends. And if his gaze remained a bit longer on Nasir's brandy-and-chocolate-colored eyes and the glossy black hair that was falling down his shoulders, no one took notice, right?

“Don't exaggerate over there, Naev. I just like to watch _The Food Network_ and try new things. If I'm in the mood, that is.”

Spartacus nodded. “And if you're not in the mood?” he asked and speared a piece of beef on his fork.

“That means microwave dinner and junk food for the rest of the week,” Nasir replied but wasn't entirely sure if the conversation was still about food. Was he only imagining the way Agron's eyes roamed all over him, almost tearing his clothes off with his gaze and crawling beneath his tingling skin?

“Anyway,” he breathed after a few beats of deafening silence. “Thanks for helping us out the other day. And now eat everyone before it gets cold,”

And that they did. Digging into the lasagna, they ate in companionable silence until the quietness of the room was only interrupted by their obnoxious chewing and a few questions here and there. By the end of dinner an active conversation had come to life between them. They talked about college, sports, work and food. Spartacus inquired Naevia about her term papers—business economics—and Naevia fire questions in all directions until she was satisfied with her state of knowledge. Agron was too still studying, but at another college, and Spartacus was currently founding his own business, hence the extensive paperwork. Their dog’s name was Oenomaus and both of them played Rugby in college league. Of course they did.

Nasir had been unusually quiet throughout the whole meal and only did speak up when a question was directed towards him.  

Lost in thought, he'd spent the time watching Agron, especially the way his jaw line moved with every bite he took. The thick stubble was a nice contrast to his smooth, golden skin and Nasir wondered not for the first time what that rough hint of a beard would feel like all over his body. Agron wore his hair short, but the strands were just long enough for being tucked between greedy fingers and there was a delicious patch of dark, wiry chest hair along the collar of his gray Henley.

But no matter how hard Nasir tried to focus on all the exquisite features—the sturdy chest and thick, strong fingers—he couldn’t ignore the obvious chemistry that was going on between Agron and Spartacus, the way they talked to each other in such a familiar way it made Nasir’s chest clench in a painful series of little deaths. They were comfortable around each other, their banter like parts of a well-oiled machine and it was blindingly obvious how much they adored each other. Their closeness felt like a angry pull in Nasir’s heart and throat and more than once he almost choked around his lasagna.

“Nasir?” Naevia nudged him gently, pulling him out of his daydream immediately.

“Pardon?”

“I was just saying how utterly delicious your lasagna was,” Agron replied and as if to prove his point Spartacus chimed right in with a thumbs-up and a heartfelt smile full of warmth and gratitude. Damn him and his ability to make Nasir like him without even trying.

“Oh yeah, thanks,” Nasir mumbled in return and ducked his head until he couldn’t see that damn bright smile on Agron’s face anymore.

They cleaned up together—Nasir doing the dishes and Agron toweling them off—and if things had been confusing up until this point, they definitely got a lot more fucked-up then. Not only did Agron actively seek Nasir’s undivided attention, but also didn’t miss a single opportunity to touch their bodies together in tiny bumps of their hips or gently nudges of their shoulders. It felt nice, familiar even, and Nasir didn't mind the wall of heat that pushed up against or behind him, making him feel wanted and welcome. By the end of their chores, they were both flustered and a faint blush was suffusing Nasir’s cheeks .

Naevia watched them in amusement as she and Spartacus got the living room ready for some more amusement and after hooking Agron into playing _Streetfighter_ and generously offering him his place next to Nasir on the sofa, she retreated with her phone to the love seat. Spartacus took a seat on the floor between Agron’s knees and Nasir felt his patchwork-heart tear apart again.

The evening moved on unspectacularly, apart from Naevia beating the crap out of first Nasir and then Agron, that is. Spartacus didn’t play, only cheered for whoever was losing and kept stealing everyone’s popcorn. They spent their time eating chips and chocolate ice cream for dessert, playing video games and soon it felt like Agron and Spartacus belonged to them in the same way Crixus and Saxa did. And it seemed only natural that at some point between _Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures_ and _Lego Marvel Super Heroes_ Nasir found himself pressed up flush against Agron's side, their knees securely slotted together and their hands brushing every so often.

Nasir didn't even know who had made the first move to begin with, but for once didn't insist on investigating further and just rolled with it; heart fluttering in his chest and body twitching against Agron's furnace-like heat.

The clock was striking midnight and Naevia was already fast asleep on the loveseat when Nasir felt the striking urge to pee. He had been trying to hold it off for quite some time now, but at some point the pressure of coke and beer became too much and he had to excuse himself. Handing Spartacus the controller, he left their guests to themselves and went to find the loo.

Nasir took his time taking care of the necessary business and was about to wash his hands when his eyes wandered to the mirror in front of him. A young man was gazing back at him, with long black hair tugged into a lazy ponytail and vibrant dark eyes. The little scar beneath his right eye where he had bumped into a shard of glass when he was a child was still visible and contrasted with the soft skin of his cheeks. The man was clean shaven, nervously fidgeting and mildly surprised that there was no yellow-eyed monster tearing his skin like the Alien did in the corresponding movie.  

“You gotta keep it together, man,” Nasir whispered to himself as he turned off the faucet and grabbed the towel. Jealousy was still tugging at his guts like a pointed hook and fuck, did it hurt like a bitch. Like being pulled apart from the inside, or swallowing needles. It was agonizing and slow and god, he wanted it to go away.

But Spartacus was right in the livingroom and so was Agron and there was no time to think. He just needed to get through the evening and things would going to be okay eventually. Act normal. No biggie. Just _do_ it!

A dark figure was hovering in the hallway when Nasir stepped out of the bathroom. Someone was leaning against the opposite wall, and though the outlines were blurring into the dark background, Nasir recognized the set of broad shoulders and the tall, solid figure.

“Oh, hey Agron,” he mumbled and was about to slip past his guest when he felt a gentle touch at his shoulder. Too late he realized the cramped space the small hallway provided and when he turned around, Agron was towering over him, fingers softly smoothing down Nasir’s bare arm. He was solid and warm and incredibly beautiful up close, with his nostrils slightly flared and his eyes fixed on a few stray curls behind Nasir’s ear.

Nasir gulped. “I...um… I gotta—” he croaked helplessly and felt the hallway wall against his back and Agron’s heat right in front of him like he was standing in the blistering onslaught of a furnace. The sudden closeness felt like a live wire, and it was exhilarating, sparking a swirling, desperate need in Nasir’s chest. Suddenly his skin felt too tight and his limbs flailed awkwardly and he was so _alive_ with Agron right in front of him, every single one of his senses wide awake. He was hoping, desperately hoping and wanting, and every thought about Spartacus flew out of the window like it all meant nothing.

A hand came up to touch the side of Nasir’s face, gentle fingers brushing along his jawline.

“Stop fidgeting, please,” Agron whispered softly as his fingers tilted Nasir’s chin up. And suddenly the air tasted like electricity and crackled just as much, becoming hot and thick as they leaned in slowly.

Their eyes fluttered shut the moment their lips found each other and for a long moment Nasir did nothing but taste—tasting and falling and never wanting it to stop. Their first kiss was slow, tasting like chocolate ice cream and Agron's sweet, sweet mouth and ending with their tongues brushing against each other tentatively.

“Wow,” Nasir whispered against Agron's warm lips, moaning softly as he felt Agron's hands cup his cheeks, drawing him in for another taste. There was no finesse in it, none of the effortless grace Agron somehow managed to exude regardless what he was doing. It was hurried and sloppy, hungry, messy and greedy. Swiping his tongue into Nasir's mouth, Agron slotted  their lips together to keep in all those sweet little sighs Nasir spilled into their kiss. It was bittersweet, their tongues sliding along each other, tasting, touching, sucking on warm, tender flesh until they were both panting and their lungs aching for air.

“Yeah, wow,” Agron wheezed and rested their foreheads together as he held Nasir's face gently, the pads of his thumbs brushing Nasir’s flushed cheeks. “Wanna do it again?”

Nasir didn't need to think twice as he leaned in hastily, practically launching himself against Agron's broad chest as he captured the man's lips with his. He licked, sucked, and he wanted. Oh, how he _wanted_.

Kissing Agron was like flying, only better. His mouth was warm, his lips soft and responsive, and the noises he made were downright filthy: soft little moans paired with that kind of growl that made Nasir shudder and had his cock stirring inside his boxer briefs. It was like a careful performance, like dancing and pulling and pushing and never wanting it to end.

They were both panting hard as they pulled apart again and Nasir felt his knees buckle with the way Agron gently held his face, like he was fragile and precious beyond measure. Like Nasir mattered.

“Fuck, Nasir,” Agron cursed and pulled Nasir closer against his body, making him feel the bulk of his muscles and the ragged heaving of his chest. His voice was raw and Nasir watched his throat work around the words like he had never seen anything more fascinating.

He was half-hard and needy, and every touch struck him in the spot right behind his belly button, flames licking down his legs and up through his chest. His mouth was filled with moans and words unsaid, and right as he opened it to spill them, movement stirred to their right and seconds later the overheads flickered to life.

“What the… oh… it’s… you,” Spartacus said and his voice was loud with surprise. He didn’t look angry, just confused and slightly worried as his eyes darted from Agron to Nasir and back to Agron. It seemed like he was about to say something else, but the only thing Nasir saw and thought was how utterly fucked he was. Royally fucked.

Embarrassment was flooding his every cell and with a huff of dismay he wiggled out of Agron’s embrace, cheeks burning with shame and heart thrumming out of control.

“Spartacus… I—I’m so sorry, I didn’t…” he muttered, his throat parched, and he could feel his stomach plummet right before something inside him broke. How could he be so foolish? How could he think that he had any right to kiss Agron? To make a claim on him…

Spartacus cleared his throat. “Nah, it’s...um, it’s fine you guys—” he started but was instantly interrupted by Nasir’s voice.

“No it’s not, it’s not okay. It’s awful and I’m sorry. I knew I didn’t… shouldn’t have done anything. I’m so sorry, I feel like the biggest idiot,” Nasir rambled and now with a bit of space between his body and Agron’s, he felt so incredibly stupid, like a child, like a fucking loser. He didn’t even dare to look up and instead took great interest in the tips of his toes until finally Naevia’s voice joined the others.

“What’s going on, guys?” she asked and Nasir stepped further away from the intoxicating heat of Agron’s body, his smell of clean sweat and soap. Head hung low and face hidden behind a few loose strands of hair he pushed past Spartacus and Naevia, mumbling “I’m such an idiot,” before he barreled through the living room door, slamming it shut behind his back.

He could still hear voices and it faintly sounded like they were arguing, but after a while the conversation died down and after the unmistakable click of the front door, he heard Naevia calling his name.

“Nasir, honey,” she said softly and knocked two times. “Let me in, baby, we gotta talk,”

Nasir sniffed. “But I don’t wanna talk,” he croaked and didn’t even care how defeated and pathetic he probably sounded.

“That’s okay, honey,” Naevia replied and her voice was so full of compassion it made Nasir choke out a broken sob. “We can do something else instead. What do you wanna do?”

Nasir stepped back to open the door. “I wanna get drunk,” he said as he let Naevia in. “And not the cute kind of tipsy, I mean rip-roaring drunk. Like a sailor. No, like twenty sailors.”

Pulling him in for a long overdue hug, Naevia nodded against his shoulder. “Anything,” she said and squeezed Nasir so tight it made him gasp. Nasir did his best to not fall apart at the feeling of his friend’s concern and rather untangled himself to plunder the pantry and fridge for every drop of alcohol he could find.

Two hours later and Nasir was happily within the realm of being officially drunk. He was surrounded by empty beer cans and a half-drained bottle of whiskey was sitting in his lap. They had continued to play videogames until the screen in front of their eyes became blurry and now the credits of _Jurassic Park_ were rolling.

A tight, hot feeling had settled inside Nasir’s aching chest and his eyes stung with unshed tears.

“He didn’t tell me,” he hiccuped as Naevia got up to put in another movie. “He didn’t… he just ki-kissed me.”

Naevia stopped in her tracks and turned to sit on the armrest next to her friend, slinging an arm around his shaking shoulders. “I know.”

“It wasn’t fair,” Nasir slurred and finally felt like something was unclenching in his chest, like a knot untying and breaking the dam to make room for tears and grief and the long, long road of redemption and regret.

“No it wasn’t,” Naevia agreed and propped her chin on top of Nasir’s head. “He shouldn’t have kissed you.”

“He and Spa-Spartacus are a thing and he didn’t tell m-me,” Nasir went on and leaned into Naevia’s embrace. A few broken sobs wracked his shoulders and he shuddered and squirmed into his friend’s touch until he didn’t feel like getting sick anymore.

Naevia let out a sigh. “I know,” she said and took the bottle away from Nasir before pushing him into the cushions of the sofa.

“H-he didn’t tell me and he kissed me and I wanted-d, wanted it t-to be real,” Nasir explained and let himself be tucked in by Naevia, even accepting a soft kiss on his forehead. “He s-sucks, Agron fuckin’ sucks!”

“He does,” Naevia agreed and dimmed the lights before walking to the door. “You should get some sleep, my love. If you need anything I’ll be upstairs, yeah?”

Nasir only grunted in return and writhed deeper into the blanket until he stopped shaking. Even after Naevia’s steps had died away on the stairs, it took a long while for the tears to come, but when they did, they didn’t stop for a single, agonizing, desperate hour. They flew hot and burned tracks into Nasir’s cheeks, tasting like salt and sorrow and so much regret. The yellow-eyed beast beneath his ribcage had turned silent and his heart was cramping and heaving under the utter pain of rejection. He had never in his life felt so stupid and unwanted.


	5. Chapter 5

It was Naevia who woke him up around noon on a gloomy, overcast Friday. She looked concerned, eyeing Nasir's red-rimmed eyes before heading towards the kitchen. She came back with coffee and a bowl of cereal: Lucky Charms and Cheerios with chocolate milk and vanilla ice cream—Nasir's favorite. She didn't press the subject, just had Nasir have his breakfast while they watched cartoons and when she felt her friend's eyes on her, Naevia just turned around to pull Nasir into one of her patented hugs before telling him it was going to be okay.

Nasir cried again, had some coffee and cried some more, tears turning into anger and his cheeks stained red with how ashamed he felt of himself, of how foolish and desperate he had acted and how much he had wanted it to be real. _Still_ wanted it to be real.

After Nasir was finished yelling and crying and whispering curses and smearing snot all over her sleeves, Naevia gave him another hug and a wet kiss on top of his head, murmuring “I'm sorry honey, I shouldn’t have coaxed you into cooking for them,” until Nasir calmed down somewhat.

They decided to clean up the entire house afterward. Mira’s parents would be back by tomorrow morning and the work would distract Nasir from any further heartache.

Naevia let Nasir pick the music and together they worked from room to room to a wild mix of Tears for Fears, Whitney Houston and bass-heavy club music. It was easy to forget the raw flesh around the wound Agron's action had left, but the bleeding never stopped and no matter how hard he tried, Nasir couldn't tear his thoughts away from the guy who had morphed from a fairytale prince to a nasty nightmare vision.

After bringing out the trash and vacuum-cleaning the first floor, Nasir went for a shower and Naevia left to get something for dinner, but not before making sure her best friend was okay with being alone.

“It's fine, Naev, it's not like he dumped me after three years of Lifetime-movie romance. It was just a kiss,” Nasir assured, trying to ignore the pang inside his chest though his words came out stilted and meek.

Pressing their foreheads together, Naevia brushed her hands through Nasir's messy hair. “He doesn't even know what he's missing out on. He's a jerk.”

Nasir nodded before slipping inside the bathroom, faking a smile as he waved Naevia goodbye.

He would be okay again, he knew that. But as he got rid of his clothes piece by piece, he realized that he didn't want to be okay. He wanted to be great, fantastic even. He wanted to be loved, just the way Naevia loved Crixus and Saxa loved Gannicus. The way his dad had loved his mom.

It had been Agron who had started this in the first place. He had kissed Nasir although he was being with Spartacus. And it didn’t matter that Spartacus had seemed strangely okay with what was going on when he caught them in the hallway, for Nasir it still felt like betrayal. But the moment Agron had bend down to kiss him, the world had narrowed down until it was only him and Nasir and nothing else. It had only been them in the vast endlessness of the universe and Nasir realized how pathetic and hopelessly solemn it sounded, though the result remained the same. And now everything that was left was the pain and the anger and the feeling of being the biggest fool on the planet.

“I’m such a stupid idiot,” Nasir snarled against his image in the mirror and with a few angry pulls he got rid of his clothes, wishing he had never agreed to house-sit Mira’s parents’ property. Wishing he'd never laid eyes on fucking Agron and his stupid fucking smile.

 ♦ 

Later Nasir didn't remember how long he had stood under the shower’s cold spray, nor could he recall how he'd spent the time until Naevia's return. It was like his mind had decided to shut down completely and even when he shared his recent thoughts with Naevia, he felt nothing but regret for coming here in the first place. He didn't cry again.

They spent the rest of the evening next to each other on the sofa, watching _Gladiator_ and _Kingsman: The Secret Service_. Naevia fell asleep when the credits of _The Expendables_ started rolling, but Nasir stayed up to watch _Dead and Breakfast_ , then _The fifth Element_ before starting all over again with _Gladiator_. He didn't really listen, didn't care, just needed something to keep his mind from spinning and his eyes occupied.

Eventually he did fall asleep, on top of Naevia, head propped up on his elbow and legs intertwined with the blanket. It wasn't comfortable, but Nasir didn't want comfortable, and when he woke up with aching bones and sore muscles he didn't say a word, didn't complain, just wordlessly spooned his cereal as they waited for Mira’s family to come home.

“Hey, you okay, buddy?” Naevia ask tentatively as they heard the gravel of the driveway crunch.

Nodding, Nasir managed to put up a half-decent smile. “Sure,” he mumbled, nudging Naevia's shoulder though they both knew it was a lie.

They left the house half an hour later with their backpacks strapped to their shoulders and hoods pulled up against the constant rainfall. Mira’s mom had provided them with all sorts of instant food for the rest of the week and had dropped a bundle of bills into Naevia's hand before releasing them.

“Home?” Naevia asked as she slipped behind the steering wheel of her foxy red sports car, pulling the door shut behind her.

Letting out a breath he had been holding since they'd stepped over the threshold, Nasir nodded his agreement. “Home,” he replied, and it all but sounded like a plea.

 ♦ 

The weekend came and with it more rain. Back in their dorm, life felt a little less suffocating and Nasir discovered that it, in fact, went on. Spending the days inside his room or with Naevia on the sofa, he proceeded to hide from the civilization for another four or five days before he risked a tentative recovery by calling Saxa.

They met up the following day in a cafe near the college to discuss their term papers and after the second coffee and a cinnamon-cherry waffle, life felt a little more like he was used to. They made a date for the movies for the following evening and when everyone met up in front of the theater, Gannicus being his usual arrogant self and Naevia and Crixus remaining practically inseparable, Nasir felt okay again. Not great, not fantastic, but okay. And he figured that would be enough.

Soon the everyday business at college had them all back. Naevia was busy studying for her final economy test and skipped most of their dinner dates in favor of sharing what little was left of her free time with Crixus. Sometimes Chadara came over to watch Nasir play _Assassin's Creed_ or _Metal Gear Solid_ and as odd as it was in the beginning, Nasir came to like her calm, quiet presence. It made him feel safe and after a while he got used to having Chadara next to him as soon as he reached for the controller.

The days were filled with classes and studying, hours of research in the library and heated discussions with fellow students. Weeks flew by and soon the world was covered in a thick crust of ice, snow floating by the windows whenever Nasir looked up.

Being busy like that, it was easy to push every unwelcome thought away and only at night did Nasir think about Agron and the way his mouth had tasted, how his tongue had felt against his skin. He remembered the curve of Agron's face, the arch of his back, the bunching of his muscles. But most of all he recalled the moans Agron had whispered against his lips, the low, desperate sounds and the heart-wrenching choked-up sigh he let out when they pulled apart again.

It felt like Agron had branded Nasir and even after all those weeks passed, the wound still hurt and bled with every breath Nasir took.

 ♦ 

It was the week before Christmas vacation and the amount of snow that had fallen throughout the night had been downright unfair. And of course today of all days, Nasir had been late for first period and only grabbed his sweater before leaving the cozy warmth of his dorm room.

Which explained why he was cursing now as he walked home from his late afternoon class, shoulders hunched against the brisk wind and hands crammed into the pockets of his blue jeans. At least he had have the presence of mind to choose the boots over his sneakers in his morning haze, even though it did nothing to keep his ears from freezing stiff after only ten minutes.

Grimacing against the sky and its cottony clouds, Nasir trudged forward while he swore to himself to never leave without a scarf and his brand new parka. With his face pressed into the collar of his sweater, he almost missed his junction and turning on his heels he was about to fumble for his keys when he heard a quiet voice calling his name.

Oh no. Oh _fuck_ no.

It took him a moment to look and when he did, Nasir felt his knees buckle.

“Agron.” He gave a curt nod and with his jaw clenched and his hands balled into fists inside his pockets he pushed past the man.

How dare he show up like this? How dare he come back to Nasir after he'd only just begun to forget him? How was that even fair?

“Nasir, please,” Agron breathed, not moving from where he seemed rooted to the spot. “I want to talk.”

“Yeah no, I don’t think so,” Nasir snapped, shuddering with sudden anger. “We don’t have anything to talk about.”

Agron's sigh was quiet, and his voice sounded a little broken when he spoke again. “Please, you don't have to say anything. Just listen, okay?”

Nasir was inclined to just go, but Agron's voice was so small and he hadn't even gotten a proper look at the man. So he stayed to listen. And then Agron said the impossible.

“I'm sorry, Nasir,” he started in a soft voice. “I did something I'm not proud of and I don't know if I can make it right again, but here I am to at least give it a try.” He took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry for what I did, I’m sorry that I just kissed you back in that hallway. I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have done that. Shouldn’t have assumed… I shouldn’t have been so sure.”

Wait. What was Agron talking about?

“Remember the first time we met? When I was playing fetch with Maus and you fell from the fence? Man, I thought I was still in bed, dreaming; I couldn't trust my eyes as you just lay there in the ditches. You were so… perfect and all I could bring across were my amazing skills in scaring you off by being a grumpy loser. I was so embarrassed; I'd never wanted to come off rude. And when Naevia came knocking on my door the same night asking for help, I was so relieved—I thought I could make it up to you by being of help.”

Swallowing hard, Agron scrubbed a hand down his face. “Guess I shoulda known when you politely refused my offer to come over when you had forgotten your keys, but here I am, a hopeless fool and a stubborn one on top of that. Stupid ol’ me, huh?”

There was another pause and Nasir tried to wrap his head around the things Agron was trying to tell him, but it was like trying to decipher hieroglyphs. Nasir was—for once in his life—at a complete loss of words, so he just kept listening when Agron continued.

“I never wanted to offend you, Nasir, I swear. But it seems I got some things completely wrong there and well, uh, I fucked up. I thought the invitation meant that… well, meant you know, that we wanted to same thing. Guess I got the wrong signals and when I kissed you I thought that… I’m so sorry Nasir, that should’ve never had happened. I’m so sorry.”

The sky was darkening above their heads and somewhere inside the building someone slammed a door. Nasir gasped and finally the penny dropped.

“Wait, wait, wait,” he interrupted Agron’s next torrent of words. “You think _that’s_ why I ran off that night? You think it’s because I’m not gay?”

Agron almost winced at the force Nasir put behind his words and nodded. “I’m so sorry, Nasir. I should’ve make sure. This is inexcusable—”

“You think I let you crowd me against that wall and push your tongue into my mouth if I weren’t gay? I can’t believe you, Agron, this is ridiculous!” Nasir cut in sharply and had to bite back a snarl.

Agron’s brow furrowed and Nasir could see the gears behind his forehead turning as he tried to come up with a reply. “I don’t understand,” he said after a moment. “All these weeks I thought I got the wrong impression and now—”

“Well you didn’t,” Nasir bellowed and felt his chest burning hot with anger. “I didn’t ran off because I’m not gay—I’m _hella_ gay, if you must know. I ran off because you and Spartacus are obviously a thing and I felt like a goddamn intruder. What did you think was going to happen if you’d gotten away with that kiss, huh?”

Now it was Agron’s turn to be dumbstruck and grimacing he held up his hands, showing his open palms in some sort of appeasement. “Woah, woah, hold your horses. What the fuck are you talking about me and Sparty are a thing? Where did you get that idea?”

Nasir huffed out a breath in annoyance and after all this time he found it in himself to finally look up.

He immediately wished he hadn't done it. Agron was just as attractive as he remembered him, with his chiseled jaw and his five o'clock shadow and his thick, brown hair. It was grown out a bit more and maybe Agron's eyes weren't quite as dazzling, but that could have been the light.

“Um, excuse me,” Nasir replied and shivered from the cold and the anger and the ache that had settled inside his ribcage again. “You two live together in a cookie-cutter house with lacy curtains and a dog in your backyard. You’re practically inseparable and just… fucking look at you for one second! Plus you guys are fucking greek gods with that whole muscle thing going on, how was I supposed to compete with Mr. Freckled-Doom?”

Nasir expected many things to happen next but out of all the possibilities Agron choose to bark out a laugh so loud it made the icicles under the dorm’s roof jingle. “You think that me and Spartacus are _dating_? Is that it? That’s why you ran off and didn’t even come to say goodbye?”

“Well yeah,” Nasir’s voice sounded irritated and a little bit intimidated. “Of course that’s what I thought. Is that so implausible to you?”

Agron became immediately serious again and with a soft shake of his head he collected his thoughts.

“Nasir, that’s not what it is, it has never been that way between me and Sparty. My mom and dad died when I was a boy and Spartacus’ parents took me in. We grew up brothers, he and I, and I would never think about us in that way. Never think about him the way I thought about you… the way I still think about you.”

The last words came out quiet and a little shaky and Nasir felt a lot of his anger dwindle away at the tender sound.

“But he looked so shocked when he saw us that night,” Nasir argued weakly and wrung his stiff hands in an attempt to reanimate the circulation.

Agron chuckled and the sound made the space between them tighter and hotter. “He was surprised, is all. I’m not usually that… straightforward about my sexuality, and with good reason.”

Nasir cleared his throat—not wanting to feel that weird sensation in his heart too much—and felt the tips of his ears turning beet red in embarrassment. With a choked-up voice he spoke again. “But why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you didn’t let me,” Agron replied softly and stepped a little closer, just enough for Nasir to catch a whiff of his cologne and the scent of his warm skin. “It all happened so fast and before I could catch up with what was going on you had already stormed off.”

“That was pretty silly, huh?” Nasir asked quietly. Yeah, now he was definitely blushing. He deserved it. Because for some reason he believed Agron. There was no lie in his voice and if a tiny part inside of Nasir desperately wanted it to be the truth, too, then sue him. He was still hopelessly, head-over-heels crushing on Agron. Go figure!

Agron didn’t say anything in return and after a few silent heartbeats had passed, Nasir plucked up his courage. “Do you, um, wanna come in for a moment?”

“Of course I want to,” Agron replied a little too fast to sound casual. “I mean, if you want me to.”

They took the stairs and once inside the hallway Nasir realized that he really was frozen to the bone. His fingers cramped painfully as he fumbled for his keys and after he’d dropped his backpack he couldn’t keep his teeth from chattering anymore.

“I gotta take a shower,” he explained and after handing Agron a beer from the fridge and turning on the TV for him, Nasir vanished into the bathroom where he stripped and jumped under a hot spray of water.

 ♦ 

To his infinite surprise, Agron was still sitting on his sofa when Nasir returned into the living room after putting on a fresh pair of sweatpants and a baggy shirt.

Agron had gotten rid of his parka and scarf and was clutching his beer with both hands as if he was afraid he might drown without it. He was staring at the screen, blinking, but by the way he was nervously picking at his clothes Nasir could tell that he wasn’t really paying attention.

“Are you hungry?” Nasir asked after he’d pulled his wet hair into a ponytail to stop it from soaking his shirt.

Agron shook his head. “Nah, I’m good.” And when Nasir stood between sofa and kitchenette for a while longer—indecisive as ever—Agron cocked his head and smiled.

“C’mere” he said softly and Nasir followed the request, sitting cross-legged on the couch. He felt exhausted beyond measure and was tired of arguing.

Silence fell for a while and both men stared at each other unabashedly. Nasir tried to remember if Agron’s eyes had always changed their color so rapidly and if he had been that tall and buff the last time they sat together. He thought about Agron’s stubble again and the way he cocked his head, how he breathed so heavily and why he was shopping in the fucking children’s section to find jeans that damn tight.

“Can I say something?” Agron asked eventually and after Nasir gave a quick nod he continued. “I’m sorry, Nasir. I’m sorry it took me forever to find you; this city is a mess like you wouldn't believe.”

His voice sounded small and nervous and yet he continued, visibly shaken. “I’m… I-I’m sorry I let you walk away thinking I didn't care about you; and worse: that I had toyed with you. I can only imagine what that must have felt like for you and I’m the biggest fucking idiot for thinking I could let you go.”

“What changed your mind?” Nasir asked, taking an unsteady breath.

Agron snickered quietly. “Not what, _who_ : Spartacus. Sat me right down and talked some sense into me. He said that I’m an idiot for letting you get away and that I had to sort this one out or I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”

“But I was an idiot, too,” Nasir sobbed and suddenly he couldn’t blink the tears away anymore. He didn’t even want to cry—not now—but there was no use fighting the feelings that were bubbling up in his throat: anger, confusion, relief, hope.

Agron’s hand was warm when he brushed his knuckles down Nasir’s cheek, wiping the tears away. “Hey now,” he mumbled and leaned in only to find himself with a lapful of Nasir seconds later.

“I’m such a fool, Agron,” Nasir mumbled into the crook of Agron’s neck and allowed those white-hot sparks of pleasure to zing up his spine as he felt the heavy pull of Agron’s arms.

“We both are,” Agron shushed gently and held Nasir against his chest. They pressed their bodies together until there was no space between them for even a feather to fit and Nasir spilled some quiet tears into the collar of Agron’s shirt, sobbing silently until finally the yellow-eyed, pain-laced, tightly-woven knot inside his chest untied.

Agron’s hands came up to touch Nasir’s back, his trembling flanks and the nape of his neck. He brushed through the black strands of damp hair, trailed his thumbs down Nasir’s jawline before he tipped their heads together for a single kiss. It was sweet, slow and unhurried, and Nasir whined into it. They were so close, he felt like he was suffering from sensory overload and his head began to swim until the only thing he could see and breathe was _Agron_.

“Nasir,” Agron murmured, said the name with a treasured reverence, as if it was something precious that had been bestowed upon him. “Nasir, my beautiful Nasir, how could you ever think I wouldn’t want you? You have fire in your belly and steel running down your back. You’re fierce like a wild little dog. How could you...“

Agron trailed off and Nasir kissed him again, flushed from tip to toe as he let those words sink it.

“Shut up,” he muttered as they pulled apart, but kept on smiling into another kiss and then silence stretched between them for a long, long while. Outside the snow fell and the TV was still running on a low volume in front of the sofa, but neither Agron nor Nasir paid any attention to either of those things and instead they fell into each other, utterly content and lost to the world.


	6. Epilogue

They had dragged themselves into Nasir’s bedroom long after midnight and curled up under the blankets with their pants still on, too tired to care and too exhausted to even notice. Their bodies seemed to be starved of touch, so they fell asleep with their limbs entangled and their foreheads tipped together.

They slept in the next morning and Nasir decided to skip his Friday classes in favor of having breakfast in bed and marathoning _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ with Agron. There was something strangely domestic about the way the never stopped touching—not even when Agron went for a shower and Nasir spontaneously decided to join him—and how easily the conversation flew between them. It was a thing of questionable beauty to watch Agron laugh and try to swallow his breakfast at the same time and Nasir liked everything about him: his adorably messy hair in the morning, the little snorting sound he made when Nasir tickled his ribs, his poor sense of humor and his unattractively long toes. He was amused by Agron’s nerdy comments as they watched one episode after another and loved his kisses and how well their bodies fit together. He didn’t even mind the way Agron refused to accept modern technology as a useful invention and kept teasing him instead, laughing at his antics. He kept thinking he’d never grow tired of Agron’s big, toothy sunshine-smile, or the dimples that kept popping up whenever he pulled a face until Nasir came to kiss them, lips brushing across the rough stubble until they were all raw and tingly.

Truth to be told, this whole thing was almost too good to be true, but Nasir decided for once in his life not to let worry prevail. So instead he ordered take-out when the sky outside started to grow darker, and kissed Agron’s neck and cheeks and mouth, and only left their nest when strictly necessary.

They were lying and waiting for their food when Nasir felt Agron’s lips on the nape of his neck and with a smile he turned around.

“You gotta stop doing that,” he breathed quietly, swallowing a moan.

Agron snickered. “What if I don’t want to, though?” he asked and pressed his mouth against Nasir’s pulsepoint again, sucking gently.

“Then you gotta… gotta learn to live with the consequences, big guy,”

“Oh, we’re doing nicknames now? Fine, little man, show me what you got!” Agron huffed out and continued to rub his lips against Nasir’s neck and down his throat, finding all the spots that made Nasir see stars.

Nasir let out a soft moan and suddenly there was eagerness in their touches, that kind of desperate heat that made their toes curl and their hearts beat faster.

Pulling Nasir on top of him, Agron fell back into the cushions with a small grunt, his hands carefully skimming down Nasir’s flanks as they kept pulling and shoving into each other.

“Fuck, Agron,” Nasir moaned as felt himself getting hard, cock grinding down on the visible bulge in Agron's shorts. It was stupid how turned on they were, how fucking easy it was.

Their kisses were sweet like the long, slow drag of dawn, and Nasir whined quietly when Agron licked a wet trail down his neck, his tongue darting out to make a warm impression in the sensitive skin.

In a flash their shirts were gone and fingers found their way down the curve of shaking flanks and heaving chests. Kisses were peppered hastily across warm skin and Nasir couldn’t get enough of how Agron tasted, how good he felt against him.

There was no direction, no carefully laid out plan, and Nasir felt like a teenager again when he rocked back against the bulge of Agron’s cock, their movements turning into impatient fumbling and hurried rutting. Agron’s eyes rolled back into his skull at the feeling of Nasir’s hot cock pressing down on his own twitching length and he kept pushing up into the heat of Nasir’s body and the tight, sticky space they created together.

“You’re gonna be the death of me, Nasir,” Agron groaned when another string of fire and steel ricocheted through his veins, making Nasir laugh breathily between soft little moans.

“Quite the romantic, aren’t we?” Nasir teased right before they found just the right angle, both of them wheezing in utter bliss. The room was alive with the sound of their bodies meeting again and again, their panting, the ragged breathing as sparks of pleasure swept through them like wildfire.

Their kisses became filthy and then everything was a blur of _oh god_ and _yes please_ and _oh fuck right there, please don’t stop_.

They didn’t last long, and after a while of uncoordinated grinding, Nasir felt his cock twitch one final time before spilling into his sweatpants with a long drawn-out moan. He breathed Agron’s name until he was stupid with it and kept fucking into the tight space between them until Agron came forcefully, bucking and shaking as his orgasm tore through him.

He was clinging to Nasir as they settled back into the cushions and for a while the only sounds were the aggressive rock music from next door and the TV’s quiet murmur in the background.

“Wow,” Nasir murmured eventually and let himself sink further into Agron’s embrace, limbs going lax and his rabbit-heart slowing down in his chest.

Agron snorted fondly in return, pressing a row of sweet, sticky kisses down Nasir’s face. “Yeah, fucking wow,” he replied.

A low laugh rumbled through his chest, making Nasir’s whole body vibrate, and when they got up shortly after, Agron kissed him right on the mouth.  

“What was that for?” Nasir asked as he picked fresh clothes from a drawer.

“Nothing. You’re just so fucking cute,” Agron replied and pulled Nasir along to the bathroom.

Nasir snorted. “Call me little man again and I’ll give you cute, you big brute,” he hissed and jumped on Agron’s back with a battle cry, riding him all the way into the shower.

 ♦ 

Half a year later they were spending their vacation at Agron’s place. Summer was on the rise and when Nasir stepped outside, Agron was standing by the porch, wrapping his arms around Nasir’s middle as soon as he got close enough.

“I love you,” he said into the folds of Nasir’s shirt. “Loved you for so long,” and Nasir’s world shifted a bit. It was different, strange, new. It was _perfect_.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for my dear friend [Pao](http://possessivejensen.tumblr.com/) in honor of her 21st birthday! 
> 
> My lovely Pao, my wild little dog,  
> for your birthday I wish you all the best: kisses and sunshine, hugs and rainbows and sweet, sticky cake.  
> I wish you the greatest of friendships, success, patience, grace and the willpower to achieve everything  
> you've set your mind on! You're a wonderful, brilliant ray of sunshine in my life and deserve nothing but  
> puppies and dimples. In other words: _Dan!_ ;) 
> 
> I hope you liked the silly little kinda romcom I threw together and enjoyed yourself some jealous!Nasir  
> and mutual pining! !! ! !!!! ! Sorry for the angst towards the end, I'm afraid I got carried away. 
> 
> I love you like Dan loves Pana, my queen and I'm so goddamn grateful we met!  
> Have the best of days and never stop being your smart, fierce, beautiful self. *3* 
> 
> To the moon and back, Elenya xx
> 
> #teammonstercock


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